29 Jun 2021

Dr Gaseitsewe Sento of Vet and Agric consultants, has implored Batswana to venture into agribusiness, saying there were opportunities for wealth.

Officiating at an agricultural entrepreneurship workshop in Mmathethe on recently, Dr Sento said mindset change and approach were necessary for the transformation of  pastoral and arable farming subsectors. He called for use of appropriate methodologies to turn the fortunes of the country around.   

He thus implored farmers to work on increasing and improving the quantity and quality of their breeds.

Dr Sento said small stock production was the way to go if the farming community was to realise its dreams, as there were few livestock diseases, which was a blessing,

He said people should make a habit of harvesting rain water and coming up with new and better ways of utilising grazing pastures for optimum output.

He also urged farmers to come up with innovative ways of feeding their livestock such as ploughing fodder, among others, adding that cutting or harvesting green grass and stockpiling it for use during unfavourable seasons was also advisable.   

Dr Sento said body condition scoring of cattle allowsedproducers to assess the level of fat reserves of cows during various production phases, adding that when regularly used, this information can be used to formulate management and feeding decisions.

He spoke of the need to develop production zones, adding that in time, some cattle posts and ploughing lands would become desolate 

Mr Reuben Digwaamaje, a cattle farmer based at Mmalori, told BOPA in an interview that the entrepreneurial workshop was of great value to the agricultural sector, as it equipped farmers with a range of skills and technical knowledge.

He said the the advice on proper ranch management was relevant  as most people were not running ranches properly.

Mr Digwaamaje called for restructuring and regulation of prices in the livestock sector, as prices for high quality breeds were still low, adding that certain categories of beef cattle deserved better prices. 

He said there was also need to close all inefficiency gaps in the livestock industry to ensure more Batswana ventured into cattle rearing and kept their agribusinesses afloat.

He said farmers need good record keeping to monitor the progress of their businesses, adding that sound record-keeping allows the farmer to learn and grow from his or her own experiences.

The objective of the workshop was to bring farmers together to gain knowledge and skills in a relaxed environment, create awareness of improved technologies and their results, among others. Ends